The recreational use of flying toys has long been enjoyed by both children and adults. Many popular games involve passing such devices from player to player by hand or by using another device such as a stick.
Examples of flying toys include the Frisbee.RTM. flying disc, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,678, and the Aerobie.TM. flying ring, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,358. The Frisbee.RTM. flying disc is a saucer-shaped device that can be thrown over relatively long distances. A player throws such a disc by grasping its edge and flexing the wrist, while holding the forearm in a neutral position. Next, the player extends the wrist and releases the disc, i.e. the player "flings" from the wrist, imparting spin to the disc, resulting in its being propelled through the air.
Such a disc will fly over relatively long distances because of its relatively high mass, peripheral mass distribution, and solid/rigid construction and aerodynamic structure.
Like the Frisbee.RTM. flying disc, the Aerobie.TM. flying ring has a relatively large mass, but, unlike the Frisbee.RTM. flying disc, has a mass which is distributed peripherally about a central void and a special air-foil shape, supposedly offering a unique flying capability.
Still other flying toys are known that offer features different from those of the Frisbee.RTM. flying disc and of the Aerobie.TM. flying ring. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,834 to De Martino, a stick-propelled disc is disclosed which features an annular disc with a circular rim defining an inner opening. The disc also includes a relatively thin central portion and relatively thick inner and outer circumferential edges.
Specifically, the De Martino disc's rim has an inner circumferential edge that is three times the thickness of the rim's central portion, and has an outer circumferential edge that is approximately one and one half times as thick as the rim's central portion. These relational dimensions concentrate the disc's mass toward the center, while still providing a reinforced outer edge. Also, because the central portion is thinner than either edge, it provides an aerodynamic cup for lift purposes. Such structural features are supposed to result in a disc that has a desirably "flatter" trajectory, with the capability of increased travel distance and higher flight speeds.
Other disc-shaped flying toys have been disclosed. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,533 to Newsome, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,652 to Matsuyama. In Newsome, an aerial toy glider is disclosed which takes the shape of a floppy fabric disc that is loosely arranged within, and attached to, a flexible weighted rim member. The disc-like shape is supported by the rim member, with the loosely arranged floppy fabric providing a doming effect when the toy is propelled through the air.
In Matsuyama, a disc-shape "joke" toy is disclosed, including an elastic member with a synthetic film stretched over it. The toy folds into several overlapping portions, and stays in that shape until disturbed. The toy is intended to be thrown in its folded condition, and then, upon impact with an object, is designed to unfold "immediately and explosively", in a joking/snapping way, to its original shape.
Totally lacking in the prior art, and highly desirable, is a semi-rigid, infinitely impact-deformable, resilient, ring-like flying toy that is relatively lightweight, and capable of exhibiting quite surprising flight performance. Such a toy offers not only extremely interesting plural-player interaction, but also a unique single-player capability. Amplifying the latter thought, occasionally, only one player is available, and no known flying disc or ring is capable of providing at all satisfactorily for single-player use. To play comfortably with prior-art flying toys, more than one player is required because of the toys' typical long flight distances, rigid, non-memory-deformable constructions, and "die"-upon-impact, flight characteristics.
Also desirable is such a flying toy which allows for indoor play without any significant risk of damage to valuable objects.
Thus, there is a need for a new kind of flying toy which is suitable both for single-player and for multi-player use--one that is sufficiently lightweight, and aerodynamically designed, to allow a player to throw it and then run after it to catch it, or somehow maintain, or modify, its flight characteristics. One way, for example, to keep the toy airborne would be for the player repeatedly to strike the toy in a tangential direction relative to its outer perimeter and in the direction of the toy's rotation, thus maintaining or modifying its flight characteristics.
It is also desirable to provide such a toy which can purposely be thrown at an object, such as a wall, floor, etc., to create a pronounced bounce/flight reaction.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel ring-like flying toy that is lightweight and impact-deformable--capable of being thrown by one or more players to create unique, impact-modifiable bounce/flight characteristics.
A further object is to provide such a toy whose air frame and flight surface, while biased to certain nominal conditions are significantly impact-changeable to alter flight characteristics.
Yet another object is to provide a flying toy of the type outlined for safe playing indoors.
One important convenience feature which emerges from meeting the above objectives, is that the resulting toy can easily be twist/folded for carrying in one's pocket and the like.
The present invention achieves the foregoing objects by providing a novel ring-like flying toy including lightweight outer and inner, ring-like boundary structures defining an annular space that is spanned (at least partially) by an air-foil web joined to and tensed between the structures. The web is preferably formed of a multidirectionally stretchable, air-flow permeable fabric material that has elastomeric-memory characteristics.
The toy's boundary structures are readily, appreciably, impact deformable to cooperate with the tensed web in a way leading to unique and surprising flight performance. This key feature of the toy of present invention results from the fact that the outer boundary structure, in particular, collaboratively cooperates, telegraphically, with the air-foil web during flight to reshape itself in infinitely varying ways after a deformity-producing impact with any external object, such as a player's hand, a wall, a floor, etc. When the toy reshapes itself, it effects infinitely springy-changing, and substantial, air-foil-varying configurations which create surprising, aerobatic, rebound flight characteristics.
These and other objects and advantages which are attained by the invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.